scholarly journals Economies of Scale and Sustainability in Local Government: A Complex Issue

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (23) ◽  
pp. 13262
Author(s):  
Jos L. T. Blank ◽  
Thomas K. Niaounakis
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Complex Issue ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Considerable Uncertainty ◽  
Key Factor ◽  
Development Goals

Local governments may seek efficient public service delivery through scaling up production, and the quest for the optimal local government size has attracted extensive attention of scholars and policy makers. Indeed, if scale matters for local government efficiency, increasing size may be a key factor in achieving more value for money for citizens. As such, getting scale right may contribute significantly to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as set out in the 2030 Agenda. Nonetheless, there is considerable uncertainty with regard to how scale shapes the average cost of local government service delivery. These uncertainties may have contributed to policy makers and public organizations disregarding the often inconclusive and sometimes contradictory empirical evidence in stimulating and allowing mergers and consolidation in many Western countries. This Special Issue is concerned with economies of scale in local government. Interesting issues to be addressed relate to the existence of general and service specific economies of scale and the implications of both for local government policy regarding various types of scaling (amalgamation, cooperation, and outsourcing). Based on a brief literature review, we inventory a number of issues which warrant further research. One of the conclusions is that the relationship between scale and sustainability is a complex issue with many aspects. Examples include the relation between economies of scale and outsourcing and cooperation, issues concerned with multi-level aspects of scale, and the trade-off that may exist between achieving economies of scale and cost efficiency (e.g., transition cost of mergers). Another conclusion is that no such thing as “one size fits all” exists. Different perspectives may play a role and should be born in mind when suggesting solutions and providing recommendations to achieve sustainable goals.

scholarly journals Understanding the implications of the Sustainable Development Goals for health policy and systems research: results of a research priority setting exercise

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Bennett ◽  
Nasreen Jessani ◽  
Douglas Glandon ◽  
Mary Qiu ◽  
Kerry Scott ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Health Policy And Systems

Abstract Background Given the paradigmatic shift represented by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as compared to the Millennium Development Goals - in particular their broad and interconnected nature - a new set of health policy and systems research (HPSR) priorities are needed to inform strategies to address these interconnected goals. Objectives To identify high priority HPSR questions linked to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Methods We focused on three themes that we considered to be central to achieving the health related SDGs: (i) Protecting and promoting access to health services through systems of social protection (ii) Strengthening multisectoral collaborations for health and (iii) Developing more participatory and accountable institutions. We conducted 54 semi-structured interviews and two focus group discussions to investigate policy-maker perspectives on evidence needs. We also conducted an overview of literature reviews in each theme. Information from these sub-studies was extracted into a matrix of possible research questions and developed into three domain-specific lists of 30–36 potential priority questions. Topic experts from the global research community then refined and ranked the proposed questions through an online platform. A final webinar on each theme sought feedback on findings. Results Policy-makers continue to demand HPSR for many well-established issues such as health financing, human resources for health, and service delivery. In terms of service delivery, policy-makers wanted to know how best to strengthen primary health care and community-based systems. In the themes of social protection and multisectoral collaboration, prioritized questions had a strong emphasis on issues of practical implementation. For participatory and accountable institutions, the two priority questions focused on political factors affecting the adoption of accountability measures, as well as health worker reactions to such measures. Conclusions To achieve the SDGs, there is a continuing need for research in some already well established areas of HPSR as well as key areas highlighted by decision-makers. Identifying appropriate conceptual frameworks as well as typologies of examples may be a prerequisite for answering some of the substantive policymaker questions. In addition, implementation research engaging non-traditional stakeholders outside of the health sector will be critical.

Municipal financing for sustainable development: A case of South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (7) ◽  
pp. 757-774
Author(s):  
CJ Hendriks
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Financial Resources ◽  
Budget Process ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
Development Goals

This article explores the financing of the sustainable development goals through the budget process with the aim of achieving sustainable development. Existing theory points out that local government budgets play an important role in pro-poor service delivery. However, underfunding can be seen across all areas in South Africa, resulting in municipalities that cannot function properly and look after the needs of their inhabitants. Based on a study of selected municipalities in South Africa, this paper tries to answer the question of whether municipalities allocate and spend their financial resources to pursue the 17 sustainable development goals. The findings indicate that as the medium for achieving the sustainable development goals, the focus of local government budgets has to shift from merely providing basic services to creating and facilitating an environment suitable for achieving sustainable development. If the emphasis of municipal spending does not change, governments will find it difficult to achieve the sustainable development goals.

scholarly journals The Biennial of Public Space in Rome. From the Charter of Public Space to the Post-Habitat III Agenda

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pietro Garau
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Space ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Good Practices ◽  
International Agencies ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Space Target ◽  
New Urban Agenda

<p>The fourth Biennial of Public Space (BISP 2017 – <a href="http://www.biennalespaziopubblico.it/">http://www.biennalespaziopubblico.it/</a>) will be held in Rome on May 25-27<sup>th</sup>, at University of Roma TRE, Testaccio neighbourhood. It will be the first one held after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda. Therefore, it will have the opportunity to take stock of the challenges the two events posed to city dwellers, civil society and policy makers.<br />If it will limit itself to parading good practices and admirable projects it will miss this opportunity. However, the intention is to lend an attentive ear, as always, to the work of international agencies and organizations. In fact, one of the preparatory activities proposed is to activate a dialogue paying special attention to the role that local governments and an efficient and responsible public sector can perform in addressing the SDG Public Space Target, and their unique civic responsibility and development potential: policies and planning. Unless this role is explored and enabled, it is highly unlikely that the SDG public space target will be achieved simply relying on civil society initiatives, isolated good practices and spirited performances.</p>

First Meeting of the PIDE Committee on Devolution Reforms in Pakistan

2006 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-161
Author(s):  
Durre-e- Nayab
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Municipal Services ◽  
Fiscal Decentralisation ◽  
National Reconstruction

The Local Government Ordinance (LGO), formulated by the National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB) in 2000 and promulgated by provincial governments in August 2001, assigns powers, responsibilities, and service delivery functions to three levels of local governments: district, tehsil, and union. Responsibilities for the delivery of social and human development services, such as primary and basic health, education and social welfare, are delegated to the district level, whereas municipal services, such as water, sanitation and urban services are assigned to the tehsil level. The LGO does not only deal with the delivery of public services in its plan but also stresses the need for fiscal decentralisation, claiming that “Fiscal decentralisation is the heart of any devolution exercise. Without fiscal decentralisation no authority is devolved.”

scholarly journals Sustained sustainable development actions of China from 1986 to 2020

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingsheng Liu ◽  
Tao Wang ◽  
Jiaming Zhang ◽  
Xiaoming Wang ◽  
Yuan Chang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Development Levels ◽  
The Right ◽  
Resource Conditions

AbstractAchieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a long-term task, which puts forward high requirements on the sustainability of related policies and actions. Using the text analysis method, we analyze the China National Sustainable Communities (CNSCs) policy implemented over 30 years and its effects on achieving SDGs. We find that the national government needs to understand the scope of sustainable development more comprehensively, the sustained actions can produce positive effects under the right goals. The SDGs selection of local governments is affected by local development levels and resource conditions, regions with better economic foundations tend to focus on SDGs on human well-being, regions with weaker foundations show priority to basic SDGs on the economic development, infrastructures and industrialization.

scholarly journals Citizen Awareness and Satisfaction Survey: The Case of Tumauini, Isabela Philippines

2021 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 5478-5487
Author(s):  
Renejoy M. Bulos
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Citizen Satisfaction ◽  
Satisfaction Index ◽  
The People ◽  
Multi Stage

Local governments in the Philippines are the nearest service units to its citizens. They are expected to deliver quality services to their constituents. As recipients of the different services, citizens are deemed in better position to assess whether quality services are delivered by the different municipalities in the country. In order to address the need to gather citizens’ feedback on the service delivery performance of the local government units (LGU), the Department of Interior and Local Government developed the Citizen Satisfaction Index System (CSIS). The municipality of Tumauini in the province of Isabela is one of the selected LGUs to implement the CSIS project in the country to measure its performance in service delivery for 2018. This study assessed the awareness and satisfaction of the people in Tumauini, Isabela on the services for Public Works and Infrastructure delivered by the LGU. There were 150 respondents selected using the multi-stage probability sampling method. In gathering the data needed, face to face interview was used with the aid of survey questionnaire. Overall, results revealed that citizens of Tumauini are aware and satisfied with the different service indicators of the Public Works and Infrastructure programs. Results of the study may help local government officials in crafting policies and making management decisions to improve the performance of the local government of Tumauini in the provision and delivery of Public Works and Infrastructure services to its constituents.

scholarly journals Evidence to Action: Research to Address Illegal Wildlife Trade

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.J. Milner-Gulland ◽  
Laure Cugniere ◽  
Amy Hinsley ◽  
Jacob Phelps ◽  
Michael 't Sas Rolfe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Research Capacity ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Wildlife Trade ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Illegal Wildlife Trade ◽  
Research Collaborations ◽  
Development Goals

Tools and expertise to improve the evidence base for national and international Illegal Wildlife Trade policy already exist but are underutilised. Tapping into these resources would produce substantive benefits for wildlife conservation and associated sectors, enabling governments to better meet their obligations under the Sustainable Development Goals and international biodiversity conventions. This can be achieved through enhanced funding support for inter-sectoral research collaborations, engaging researchers in priority setting and programme design, increasing developing country research capacity and engaging researchers and community voices in policy processes. This briefing, addressed to policy makers and practitioners, is part of the 2018 Evidence to Action: Research to Address Illegal Wildlife Trade event programme, organised by five of the UK’s most active IWT research institutions, to support the London 2018 IWT Conference.

scholarly journals Policy interventions for attraction and retention of female teachers in rural secondary schools

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 50-59
Author(s):  
Isabela M. Kamere ◽  
M I Makatiani ◽  
Arthur Kalanza Nzau
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Schools ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Female Teachers ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Life Long Learning ◽  
Key Policy ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Attraction And Retention

The potential role of female teachers in achieving the Education for all (EFA) and the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically on  ensuring  inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting life-long learning opportunities for all (Goal 4), achieving gender equality and empowering  all women and girls(Goal 5 ) is well documented. Available evidence, however, suggests that attraction and retention of female teachers in secondary schools located in rural areas remains a significant and on-going challenge. In response, policy makers in Kenya have recommended three key policy interventions namely decentralization of teacher recruitment, payment of hardship allowance and provision of housing. A literature search reveals a dearth of information on the perspectives of rural educators on the effectiveness of these interventions. The paper presents findings based on one objective of a broader study which was to: Establish the views of female teachers’ and other stakeholders’ regarding the effectiveness of strategies for attraction and retention of female teachers in Makueni County. This study adopted a mixed methods design. The paper presents findings from the qualitative component of the study. Interviews were used to gather data. Based on their interpretations, the authors provide useful   insights and offer suggestions on how the implementation of these policies could be improved.  

Sustainable Development in The Academic Community as an Opportunity to Develop The Awareness of Urban and Rural Residents

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Marecki ◽  
Agnieszka Wójcik-Czerniawska ◽  
Zbigniew Grzymała
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Research And Development ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Strict Sense ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Postgraduate Studies ◽  
Local Government Level ◽  
Development Goals

The purpose of the article is to present the activities carried out by the Warsaw School of Economics, including the Department of Economics and Finance of the Local Government, aimed at both activities aimed at the diversified development of the broader sense - the activities of the Universities in this respect and in the strict sense, i.e. the activities of one of the departments, i.e. the Department of Economics and Finance of the Local Government within research and development at the local government level. The activities in the area of sustainable development include the membership to the Sustainable Development Goals Accord, the seat of the Polish branch of OIKOS International . On the other hand, activities in the field of sustainable development strictly mean activities in the field of research and development as well as conducting lectures and postgraduate studies in the field of sustainable development in the broad sense of the word. These activities are carried out by the mentioned department. The activities are therefore implemented on a large scale in order to increase the promotion of the idea of sustainable development in order to support the idea of sustainable development at every possible level, from national to local.

Local Government as a Democracy Actor or a Service Delivery Actor

2014 ◽  
pp. 127-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Demediuk ◽  
Stephen Burgess ◽  
Rolf Solli
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Governance Practice

Local governance occurs where a local government gives citizens a say in things that really matter to them, and e-governance initiatives provide electronic means to enable citizens to participate in this shared governing of the community. The clearer a local government is about the nature and degree to which it needs to act as a democracy actor (better citizens and better government) and/or a service delivery actor (better decision making), the greater the prospect that it can choose appropriate electronic means through an e-governance approach to meet those ends. In order to guide an e-governance practice and inform further research, this chapter: provides models that articulate the elements that constitute better decision making, better citizens, and better government, and presents examples from five local governments of how electronic means can satisfy particular ends.

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